Written by: Kieron Gillen
Art by: Valerio Schiti
Colors by: Marte Gracia
Letters by: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover art by: Mark Brooks (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: September 21, 2022
A.X.E.: Judgment Day #5 counts down the minutes to oblivion as Progenior’s judgment is rendered, and the remaining heroes scramble to find a way to kill a god.
Is It Good?
A.X.E.: Judgment Day #5 is good and not good at the same time. Come follow along.
When last we left Earth, the Progenitor had rendered a final judgment (without judging every Earthling individually as originally promised) and commenced raining down horrific destruction all over the planet. Now, the assemblage of superpowered individuals formulate a plan to stop the Progenitor before the very Earth is wiped out.
That all sounds great, and in truth, the scenes of devastation are heartwrenching as ordinary citizens are shown living out their remaining time in an assortment of ways. Credit to Gillen for capturing the human experience – the good, the bad, and the annoying (looking at you, Twitter girl).
Give double credit to Schiti for artistically captivating scenes of horrific destruction that look as final as the worst footage from real-life disasters or cities wiped out from acts of war. The world isn’t dying. It’s being murdered, and Schiti makes you feel every brutal strike.
Where the story stumbles is in the plot. What’s the grand plan the remaining heroes devise? Hit the node inside the Progenitor to disable the body, knowing the resultant blast could kill everyone within a wide radius.
“Wait! Hold up,” you think. “Isn’t that the same plan from issue #2? The same plan that never really happened because the Progenitor tricked everyone with an illusion?” Yep, that’s right. We’re right back to the same plan from three issues ago, but this time the heroes are really going to do it. Oi!
In effect, this issue, much like the rest of this series contains oodles of spectacle and human emotion. However, when you peel back the layers, the plot has barely progressed two steps forward since the first issue. All spectacle and flash, but no meat.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts:
A.X.E.: Judgment Day #5 looks great, sounds big, and feels important. There are plenty of spectacles and human emotion to keep you riveted to the page with every turn. However, the actual plot has barely moved more than a few steps when you consider the heroes’ new plan is the same as the old plan. Come for the heart and the visuals, but don’t bother if you’re looking for a plot that takes up more than a few pages.
Weird Science Marvel Comics 